Depths of the Water
by a Wiccan
Summary: "Kisame, why are you so jumpy?" Itachi sked his partner, "They say these waters are haunted by the soul of a dead girl." "I didn't know you were superstitious."
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Special thanks to my Mexican friend Luis Guerrero, who was sitting next to me while I wrote most of this story :D. Also, I realize that some of the ages in this story do match up, however that was done purposely. No flames, read and review.**

* * *

"Kisame!" the ten year old boy turned to see his friend and now team mate, Chi no Suiren running toward him. A huge smile was plastered on her face. A smile split his own face, exposing his sharp teeth.

"Congratulations of graduating top of the class Kisa-kun!" she told her blue skinned friend as she got closer to him he grinned back.

"Thanks Suiren. You too, good job on graduating. We should celebrate." His blond haired friend grinned at him enthusiastically, exclaiming,

"We should get dango and shrimp!" Kisame laughed at his friend's sweet tooth. At least she remembered his liking for shrimp. He agreed and the two newly made genin went to go celebrate.

* * *

"I'm glad we got to be on the same team Kisa." Her blue skinned from nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, me to." The two had just finished their celebratory meal and were walking around the beach. The friends were chatting idly when a snide comment was heard.

"Well look who it is, blue and the weak scaredy cat." The two friends looked to see some of the other kids that were genin now. Suiren frowned at them while Kisame glared.

"What do you want Doza?" the boy sneered at them.

"What, I can't come congratulate the scaredy cat on graduating? Nobody thought she would make it you know, because of weak and scared she is all the time." Suiren's face burned as she looked at the ground. Kisame growled at them, standing protectively in front of them.

"Leave her alone."

"Or what? You going to eat us, shark boy?" a wicked grin appeared on Kisame's face.

* * *

A little while later Kisame was sitting on a bench while Suiren tended to the bruise on his face. It was the only injury he had. The boy was still grinning and his friend sighed and shook her head.

"Kisa-kun, you shouldn't do things that will hurt you." Her friend laughed.

"I'm alright, they hardly landed a hit. Besides, they were picking on you, and as you're best friend, it's my job to protect you from bullies like them. Besides, you fix me back up quickly."

Suiren sighed again has she held a ball of water held together by her chakra to her friends face. It glowed with healing chakra and soon the bruise was gone.

"But they were right; I am a weak scaredy cat." Kisame frowned at his friend whom stood in front of him.

"No, you are one of the best healers I know. Weak people can't do that. And you are not scared of me or the dark thus you are not a scaredy cat." He stated with a sage nod. Suiren rolled her eyes.

"You know like, maybe three healers total, counting me and my mom. Do you not remember I screamed and ran away when I first saw you?"

Kisame rubbed the back of his head, "But that was because I popped up out of the water suddenly. And you're my best friend now so that doesn't matter."

"Kisa, I'm sacred of water for Kami's sake." Kisame snorted.

"No, you're just nervous about what's in the water. Don't worry; you have me here to protect you. And in return you can take care of me when I get hurt and protect me from what's in the dark." Getting idea he jumped up and stood before her.

"Chi no Suiren, I Kisame Hoshigaki do solemnly swear to always be there and protect you." Suiren looked at him in surprise. The she stood up and said to him,

"Kisame Hoshigaki I, Chi no Suiren, accept your oath. In return I do swear to heal you whenever you become hurt."

He grinned at her and she laughed. They both continued walking around before going home.

* * *

The next few years passed without incident. The two went on missions with their other team mate and their captain. Occasionally the two would have run-ins with the other genin that gave them a hard time, but it happened less and less as Kisame grew stronger and stronger and beat anybody he found bothering his friend. Their team mate, Ashito, would even help sometimes.

Likewise, Suiren also grew stronger and more confident as he advanced in healing. When either of the boys on her team was harmed, it was she who took care of them. But she retained her fear of being in water, something she was harassed by the other genin for when Kisame and Ashito weren't around. The team took on more and more advanced missions and it wasn't long before they took the Chunin exams. All three became Chunin less than two years after becoming genin.

Everything was going well for the three shinobi. But then tragedy stuck the team.

* * *

The sounds of a fight filled the clearing and the clanging of metal filled the air. Ashito, Kisame, Suiren and their former sensei had been on a mission and it had been going well until the end. They had been ambushed by enemy shinobi and were engaged in combat.

Kisame and Suiren were fighting back to back when Ashito's voice rang out in a cry.

"Sensei!" the two turned just in time to see their sensei fall to the ground lifeless. Suiren let out a strangled cry as Ashito fell soon afterward. The two of them made their way over to their fallen team mates. Kisame ruthlessly kept their opponents back as Suiren tried to save Ashito.

"Get... out of … here." Ashito coughed up blood as he yelled at them. But Suiren wouldn't give up. The situation was becoming hopeless.

"Kisame, take Suiren. Escape." Kisame looked at his fallen team mate and as Suiren tried to save him. Tears were pouring down her face. Kisame gave a sharp nod and picked Suiren up as Ashito made his way to his feet. He would buy them time to escape.

Kisame fled with Suiren in his arms. After they had gone a distance away and explosion went off behind them. Suiren cried and Kisame set his mouth in a grim line. Ashito had prevented the shinobi from pursuing them with the last bit of his life.

After a while Kisame began to notice his injuries and then Suiren's. The girl had gone quiet and Kisame noted she had passed out. It was for the better. He was the stronger of the two and had fewer injuries. Besides, her leg had been stabbed and would be hard to travel on. His heart took pity on his best friend. She had already lost so much, and now for her to lose half of her team, she must have been heart broken.

As soon as Kisame arrived in the village with Suiren, the both were taken to the hospital. Kisame recovered quickly, but Suiren's wounds were more sever and took longer. Kisame kept her company as she recovered, something she was glad for.

* * *

"Kisa-kun, guess what?" Suiren shouted as soon as Kisame entered her hospital room once again.

He tilted his head. "What?"

"I get released tomorrow." Her grin was contagious and soon his matched her own. He plopped down in the chair next to her bed.

"That's great!" Then he paused, frowning before continuing. "I have a mission I have to leave on soon, but I'll be back tomorrow." Suiren smiled at him.

"That's ok, I'll be able to wait for you at the village gates." They smiled and talked for a while before Kisame had to leave for his mission. The boy left feeling better than he came. Suiren was getting better, and though she was still bothered by their team mate and Sensei's death, she was no longer depressed about it.

* * *

The sun was setting as Kisame hurried back to the village. His mission had been successful and he wanted to tell Suiren about it. He arrived at the gates, but there was no sign of Suiren. He wondered if she had gone some place with a better view to see him coming back. He wandered to the cliffs to see if she was there.

Before he reached them he heard screaming coming from farther down the cliffs. Recognizing Suiren's screams he took off in the direction they came from. When he arrived at the scene it was his worst nightmare come true.

Suiren was tied up in the hands of the other kids they had been genin with. In slow motion, Kisame saw them throw her over the cliff into the water. Their eyes met for the briefest moment and Kisame saw the fear and he plea for help in them. Then she hit the water and was gone.

"Suiren!" she never resurfaced.

* * *

A few years later, Kisame began committing the acts that caused him to leave the village. Shortly after that he joined the Akasuki.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N in this fic, Kisame is the same age as Itachi. This is set when they are both sixteen. In other words, a year before the Naruto anime started. And yes. They are OOC.**

Kisame and Itachi had been sent out on a mission and were at the edge of the sea that surrounded Kirigakure. They would not be required to go to the islands that were within the sea, but their mission was on the edge of it.

Itachi was observing their surroundings and he noticed something of about Kisame. His partner was staring at the ocean with a lost, guilty look in his eyes. It was barely even noticeable, if Itachi did not have the sharingan, he would never have noticed it.

"Kisame, why are you so on edge?" Kisame looked at his partner and frowned.

"They say these waters are haunted by the soul of a girl unable to rest."

"I didn't know you were superstitious."

"I'm not." Itachi gave him a looked and Kisame huffed before looking away. They continued walking to the village they would be staying at. It was a sea side village and their hotel room over looked the sea. Their mission was to secure some items, assassinate somebody who would be arriving, stop the disturbances that were occurring at the village and then return back to base.

That night, Itachi noticed his partner idly fiddling with a small object. The two of them had been partners for a while now and had a close bond. So it was not out of character for them to talk about things. He decided to get his partner to spill whatever was on his mind.

"What's that?" Itachi asked, motioning to the object in Kisame's hand. His partner stopped what he was doing and looked at it before replying.

"It's a pendent. Me and a friend had matching ones before she was killed." Itachi's ears perked up. Despite his supposed aloofness, the Uchiha was actually a great deal interested in his companions. And the tone of grief in his partner's voice drew Itachi's interest.

"A friend?"

"Yeah, she was a real sweet girl. Was real powerful at healing, she always wound fixing me up when I got into fights. We had been friends for a few years before graduating and being placed on the same genin team. Things were pretty good for a few years. But a mission went wrong and our team mate and sensei both died. I think it had a really bad impact on her. She was never the same after that, a little more withdrawn. Well for longer than I had ever known her she had this fear of water, or what was in the water. She had been bullied by our class for it all the time. I kept most of them away when I was with her, but sometimes they bothered her when I wasn't around." Itachi waited patiently for Kisame to get around to the point about his friend.

"Well, on that mission that had gone wrong, she had gotten pretty banged up. We both did, but she was worse of, it took her longer to heal and get better. Long enough that I was being sent out on smaller missions while she was in the hospital still." Itachi blinked. That was a long time for somebody to be in a hospital. He wondered if it had to do with her distress as her team mate and sensei's death. Kisame continued on.

"I was sent on a mission the day before she was released from the hospital and was supposed to get the day she got out. The mission got a little detained so I didn't get back until later in the day. Where I got back, she wasn't at the gates like she said, so I headed to the cliffs, wondering if she went there to get a better view of the gates. On my way there I heard screaming. I recognized her voice so I took off as fast as I could. But I wasn't fast enough. I got within sight of her just as some of the people who used to bully her, tossed her over the cliffs into the sea. She never learned how to swim and she was tied up, she didn't stand a chance. The cliffs weren't particularly high but the water was deep."

Kisame hung his head. Itachi had told him of Sasuke and the truth of why Itachi left his village, so telling him these things now didn't bother Kisame. He went on talking about his friend's death.

"Our eyes met as she was falling, I could see the fear and terror in them, and I saw the relief in them when she saw me. But that quickly vanished and it was replaced by sad understanding. Even though I raced as fast as I could, I wasn't fast enough to reach her. I checked the water for days and never found her again."

There was a silence afterwards as Kisame remembered that day and Itachi processed this new information. It explained why Kisame never cared for the rest of his Kirigakure shinobi and never saw them as comrades.

"What did she look like?" Kisame got a fond smile as he thought about his dead friend.

"We'll she was kind of small when we were little kids, and when we were a little older she was starting to just turn into a slender figure. She wore dark black pants and almost knee-high brow boots and a dark blue tank top. Her hair was wavy, sort of like the ocean, but a honey blond. And her eyes, they were incredible, really pale blue that almost glowed."

Itachi pictured the girl. She sounded like she had been cute when she was younger. But he wondered why she had been a shinobi when she was terrified of the water. And her personality didn't sound like it fit with the life of a shinobi. He frowned.

"What was she like? She doesn't sound like a shinobi normally would." Kisame nodded at his partner.

"She was forced to become a shinobi by her dad. He thought it would get rid of her water fears, though it never did. She was a really sweet girl, not somebody who could kill anybody without a problem. Don't get me wrong, she's killed a few people, but it always left a silent mark on her. And the death of any of her friends hit her hard. She was a quiet, sweet and caring girl. When me or our team mate got hurt, she was the one to heal us, and she was good at it to. She hated it when we got into fights with the kids that bothered her, so half the time we didn't her find out. She was the type of person who would take care of you when you were sick. We made an oath, me and her did. I swore I would always be there to protect her, and she promised in return to take care of me when I was hurt."

By now Kisame had cheered up more and was no longer looking so gloomy or jumpy. Itachi nodded to himself, glad his task was done. After a while longer of talking about random things, the boys went to bed. They had to take care of a mission in the morning.

**A/N Review and no flames**


	3. Chapter 3

Itachi and Kisame sat atop of a cliff, hidden as they watched for the boat that would be bringing in their target. They had to time their attack carefully. The villagers had said that something lurked in the water, destroying any ship that dared to disturb it. And it wasn't fickle. It would attack anything or anyone.

Nobody was sure what exactly it was. Stories ranged from a fearsome monster from the depths of the ocean to a nasty shark to a half fish, half human, creature. One old man told them it was a beautiful girl made from water and mist. He was the only one with that story and had gone on about it until Itachi and Kisame left.

Soon they spotted the ship nearing the harbor mouth. So far there had been no sign of the mysterious water monster. Kisame and Itachi both held binoculars to their eyes watching the ship. The only movement was a guard idly fiddling with some metal objects. They watched as he grew frustrated with what he was doing and threw the objects into the water before walking away.

Itachi and Kisame didn't notice the disturbance in the water until the objects flew out of the water and landed on the ship a few feet away from the guard. They watched him narrow his eyes in confusion before picking up the metal object and looking at it before tossing it back into the water. Again it flew out of the water and on to the boat. Neither Kisame nor Itachi could see anything in the water. This happened several times before the object didn't fly back out of the water. Curious, the guard looked out over the railing. As soon as his head appeared, the object flew at his head too fast for him to get out of its way. It impaled his face and he fell over the edge of the ship dead.

People came out from under the ships deck to see what the commotion outside was. Kisame and Itachi kept their eyes open for their target. Kisame was the one who spotted him first. His heart skipped a beat when he was what their target was holding.

It was a simple looking comb made from dark wood. Alone the sides of it were carved designs of shells and flowers. A red lily was carved at the top of it as a decoration. Kisame knew that comb like the back of his hand.

By now the water had started to break out in angry waves and froth around the boat. People were screaming but the partners could make out no sounds over the sea. They both leapt down from their hiding spot and raced to the ship. They had to take out their target before they lost him. Waves bombarded them and the ship was groaning.

When they reached the ship, some people had already fallen over the railings where something was pulling them deep under and killing them. Still the Akasuki members were unable to see what monster assaulted the ship.

In all of the commotion, their target had managed to hide. The guards had spotted the partners and began to attack them. The two of them exchanged a look. Kisame would take care of the guards while Itachi hunted for their target. They got to work.

As he took out the guards, Kisame kept an eye on the water. The ship was starting to break from the force of the waves battering it from all sides. Kisame caught a glimpse of a scaly black fish tail. But then it was gone and his attention was back on destroying the guards.

Just as Kisame finished off the last of them, the waters stopped rocking momentarily. He heard Itachi's call and ran over. More boats had appeared, all bearing the same sign as the ship they were on. Each of them was bristling with guards. Kisame anticipated the coming fight. Out of the corner of his eye, Kisame saw the body of their target floating dead. The comb was nowhere in sight until of the men on the other ships bent over. He was a pompous and arrogant looking fool.

The man straightened up with the comb in his hand and threw a sneer at the two Akasuki members before ordering his men to attack. Half of them didn't even get off the ships to charge across the water when the waves hit, stronger and angrier than before. Itachi and Kisame were hard pressed to stay upright on the ship.

A large crack was heard and boats began to capsize, drowning the men. Itachi and Kisame were caught by the waves as they fought off their attackers. Kisame caught a glimpse of something with a black tail tackle the commander as waves took them down.

Under the water, Kisame could make out a dark form attacking the commander and tearing apart. It reminded him of a monster fish. Before he could see much more, he became tangled in a mass of ropes and timber, dragging him down. He idly wondered if all of the ships were purposely trying to fall on him and drown him as more fell on him, pushing him down farther and farther. A metal tipped shaft hit him in the stomach, driving the breath out of him and scratching him.

During the chaos, Kisame had dropped Samehada and became separated from Itachi. As more and more things fell on him, he sank farther and farther. Dimly he remembered a time, over five years ago, when he was still a new genin. The memory played back in his head.

"_Kisa-kun! You can't drown in the water! You're like, part shark, so if you drown, you're an idiot!" A young Suiren stood well away from the banks of a large creek. She was scolding Kisame, who had been pretending to drown. He was laughing at his friend's reaction._

The memory faded. If Suiren was still alive, she'd be scolding him for getting into a situation like this. He hadn't realized it yet, but at some point Kisame had taken out the pendant and held it in his hands. He ran his fingers over it, feeling the grooves of the designs that had been etched into the stone. Something struck him in the back of his head.

Kisame's vision was going dark and the last thing he saw was the thing turn toward him, black scales glinting in the water.

**A/N:**

**Review! No flames!**


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